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Is Argentina closer to saying #ByeTransFats?

On March 14 and 15, the National Food Commission (CONAL) held its ordinary meeting No. 144. There, among other topics, it worked on improving the regulation of trans fats based on the proposals presented by civil society and the Ministry of Health.

Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic.

CONAL, at its first meeting in 2022, put the update of art. 155 tris of the Argentine Food Code (CAA), referring to the maximum percentage of trans fats allowed in food products. For this, it used two proposals: one that civil society organizations presented in September 2021 and another, by the National Ministry of Health, whose presentation took place this year.

Both proposals state:

  • Establish a maximum limit of 2% of industrially produced trans fats on total fats in all food products. Including those used as ingredients and/or raw materials.
  • Ban the use of partially hydrogenated oil (main source of trans fatty acids).

It is important to highlight that these proposals are aligned with the best standards of public health protection, as well as with the recommendations of international expert organizations.

 

What’s coming

According to the minutes issued after the last meeting of CONAL, the National Food Institute (INAL) has the duty to prepare the so-called “joint resolution project” (PRC). This project is a document, where, taking into account both the proposal of civil society and that of the Ministry, the effective proposal to modify art. 155 tris.

After its preparation, the PRC must be sent for a period of 20 calendar days to all CONAL representatives and if no substantial comments are received, it must be submitted simultaneously to CONASE -Advisory Council- and to Public Consultation -open stage to the community-, for a period not exceeding 30 calendar days.

However, neither the statements made by members of CONASE or those that may arise in the framework of the public consultation, are binding. In other words, CONAL is not obliged to follow the positions that result from both instances, but they will be an important input to be assessed by the Commission when modifying the Food Code.

Subsequently, a new meeting of the CONAL will take place and if the modification proposal is approved, it will go to the administrative process so that the joint resolution between the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Secretary of the Ministry of Health is issued, acquiring thus its character and rigor of the norm after being published in the Official Gazette.

 

Why is it important for civil society to participate?

Participation will be key to driving the proposal forward, as well as countering possible interference from the food industry. In general terms, the discussions raised within the scope of CONAL, given its institutional and operational scheme, are behind closed doors and quite far from citizen participation. Therefore, it is transcendental that civil society organizations begin to take part in this space, bringing the perspective of public health, human rights and, above all, prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Argentina is behind in terms of trans fat policies, so it is necessary to redirect efforts again to ensure the right to health of citizens.

We are getting closer to saying #ByeTransFats!

 

More information:

We present a proposal to eliminate trans fats in Argentina

Contact:

Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org

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Labeling Law: we demand transparent regulation

Together with Sanar, on Thursday, January 20, we sent a letter to the Nation’s Minister of Health (Dr. Carla Vizzotti), to the Secretary of Access to Health (Dr. Sandra Tirado) and to the Director of the National Food Institute (Lic. Monica Lopez). We request that the regulation of the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Food, sanctioned on October 26, be regulated in terms of transparency, free of conflicts of interest and with the participation of civil society.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

While the bill was discussed in the different chambers of the National Congress, attempts by the food industry to reduce its rigor became visible. Without success, now that it is time for its regulation, we fear the possible interference of the industry with orders aimed at hindering and delaying the process. For example, the shifting of the terms of the application of the law and the attempt to avoid the correct labeling in certain forms of presentation of drinkable and edible products.

To give rise to these possible interferences, other regulations that make up the regulations could be weakened; especially those that are intended to protect groups in a situation of vulnerability, such as children, adolescents, and low-income families.

It is due to this, that from the different civil society organizations we carry out different actions that demonstrate our interest in participating in the processes related to the regulation of the law; Since we do not have any type of conflict of interest, we can guarantee that it is regulated in a transparent manner and in accordance with the rights acquired at the time of sanction.

The health care of the Argentine population is still not certain, and we need the ministerial and competent entities to guarantee processes that respect that the regulation of the law will be based on the existing scientific evidence on the subject, in a clear and transparent.

Author
Lourdes Aparicio

Contact
Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org

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We have a front labeling law!

Last Tuesday, October 26, in the Chamber of Deputies, with 200 votes in favor, the sanction of the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating was achieved, better known as the frontal labeling law.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

For years, in Argentina we did not know if what we ate hid any risk to our health. The increase in diseases related to poor diet (such as diabetes, hypertension and certain types of cancers), determined the need for the Argentine State to start moving forward with regulations that put the health and quality of life of the population as a priority. . After almost a year after the project left the Senate, and after several marches and countermarches, deputies were able to put aside their partisan differences, to finally approve the Front Labeling law.

This law protects three fundamental rights: health, adequate food and information in consumer relationships. For this, the regulations establish that all products packed in the absence of the customer and containing a high content of critical nutrients -such as sodium, sugar and fat- bear, on the main face of the container, black octagons with the legend “Excess in” . In this way, it is sought that simple and reliable information is available when deciding what to eat. In other words, the sale of any product is not prohibited, but rather it is intended to adequately warn of the true composition of what is being consumed.

More than a black seal

Throughout all this time, from various academic sectors and civil society, we highlight the comprehensive nature that the regulations managed to meet. This is due to the fact that, around the chosen labeling system, other regulations have been established that strengthen the protection of the right to health. These are the restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, regulations in educational establishments and in public purchases by the State.

With regard to marketing, the law requires that when a product is advertised that contains at least one warning seal, all the black octagons that this product bears are visible and / or enunciated. It only prohibits advertising when it is directed at children and adolescents and it is a product with excess fat, sugar and sodium. Given that we are in the presence of a regulation that seeks to protect children above all, the law also establishes that groceries with one or more warning stamps cannot have so-called “shopping hooks” on their packaging, such as drawings. cartoons, cartoons, famous people, athletes, etc. This is important because nothing that appears in the packaging of a product is the result of chance. On the contrary, it has been the object of analysis with the deliberate purpose of attracting the public, especially those who are in the development stage and who may not have enough knowledge to decide freely.

Regarding the educational establishments that make up the initial, primary and secondary level, the products that contain at least one warning seal or precautionary legends (“contains sweeteners, not recommended in children” or “contains caffeine, avoid in children / as ”) cannot be offered, marketed, advertised, promoted or sponsored. Likewise, in order to contribute to the development of healthy eating habits and warn about the harmful effects of an inadequate diet, the regulations also propose the development of minimum contents of nutritional food education in schools.
Finally, in relation to purchases by the State, the Public Administration must prioritize the contracting of all those products that do not have stamps. In this way, it seeks to positively impact the health of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, who are those who are most exposed to the consumption of processed and ultra-processed products.

Thus, the new law is positioned as an instrument capable of transforming the way in which the Argentine State addresses the food problem. For decades, policies have been replicated without taking into account nutritional criteria and consequently, they have not managed to reverse the chain of impoverishment or the situation of food insecurity.

What’s next

Each of the points mentioned shows that the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating is an advanced regulation that prioritizes public health over any other interest. It is the result of the consensus of different political forces and the best scientific evidence free of conflicts of interest.

We welcome its approval as it guarantees access to nutritious and quality food, while seeking to curb the strategies that the food industry systematically uses to promote excessive and uninformed consumption.

We took a fundamental step in terms of the protection of human rights, but the road ahead is still long. We are facing the challenge of regulation, where we know that the industry will continue to use all its machinery to protect its interests. For this reason, it is important that at this stage, each of the articles that make up the regulations continue to be protected and prioritize our rights.

Contact

Maga Merlo Vijarra,  magamerlov@fundeps.org 

 

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Front labeling law: delays and questions

Faced with the excessive delay due to the enactment of the front warning labeling law in the Chamber of Deputies, we submitted requests for information to the Anticorruption Office and the Transparency Office of the lower house in order to determine the potential existence or non-existence of conflicts of interest that could be affected to its sanction.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

Throughout the debate on the front labeling law, it has been possible to glimpse cases of legislators who have adopted many of the narratives used by the food industry to obstruct or prevent the sanction of the regulation. For example, statements regarding the need to previously harmonize with Mercosur, the creation of technical barriers to trade, the demonization of food, the impact on jobs, among others. These arguments are characterized by being devoid of scientific evidence and lacking normative support. Well, far from being motivated by a public health interest, they are aimed at protecting the economic interests of the sector.

The bill has been in the Chamber of Deputies for almost a year and if it is not dealt with this year, it will lose parliamentary status. Faced with the questions that arise regarding the possible reasons that delay its approval, the potential existence of conflicts of interest in those who make up the Chamber, is presented as an unknown that deserves to be investigated and made visible by civil society organizations.

The Argentine legal system provides for a set of ethical principles and standards that the authorities are obliged to respect in order to guarantee that the public function is exercised in an integral and transparent manner. Among these rules, there is the regime of conflicts of interest, which establishes a series of measures and restrictions that are intended to prevent those who exercise public functions from being affected by their impartiality -or independence of criteria-, by putting their interests first. private over the public interest.

Based on this legal framework of transparency and in exercise of the right to petition the authorities, on September 6, we presented two requests for information: one, before the Anti-Corruption Office and another, before the Office of Transparency and Access to Information Public of the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation.

In this way, we request the affidavits of assets from legislators who have publicly and officially expressed themselves against the sanction of the law and which, to date, have not been published on official sites. Likewise, we request access to the list of meetings that these authorities – and their advisers – have arranged, in order to determine if there were meetings with the food industry where agreements that are affecting their impartiality have been generated, as well as the list of gifts or donations. that they may have received on the occasion or occasion of their functions.

We will continue to investigate possible avenues for complaint and urge the Anti-Corruption Office to promptly respond to the request for information submitted. The presence of conflicts of interest affects the quality of the political system and the functioning of democracies. It generates a gradual disbelief in the population about the legitimacy of public decisions and gives rise to interests outside the common good to interfere in the processes of public policy making. Making visible generates awareness in the public and is the way so that these practices are no longer legitimized.

 

More information

Authors

Alma Colina

Maga Merlo Vijarra 

Contact

Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org

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We present a proposal to eliminate trans fats in Argentina

From Fundeps, SANAR, FIC Argentina, Fagran and Argentine Consumers we sent a proposal to the National Food Commission (CONAL) for Argentina to move towards a more restrictive regulation of trans fats and that prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

The different organizations proposed to CONAL to modify article 155 tris of the Argentine Food Code (CAA). Said article currently establishes that:

the content of industrially produced trans fatty acids in food must not exceed: 2% of total fats in vegetable oils and margarines intended for direct consumption and 5% of total fats in other foods, including those that They are used as ingredients and raw materials.

In this sense, we propose that a maximum limit of the content of trans fatty acids (TFA) of industrial production of 2% with respect to total fats in all products be established. Including those that are used as ingredients and / or raw materials, and also prohibit the use of partially hydrogenated oil.

The proposal arises given that the consumption of trans fats is dangerous for health, since it increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, sudden cardiac death and diabetes mellitus, among other diseases. In other words, the available scientific evidence establishes that these fats are not essential, they are not required for any biological function in the body and they do not have any health benefits.

It is essential to improve regulation, since despite the recent modifications incorporated in article 155 tris of the CAA where it was clarified that the restriction and maximum limits of trans fats include raw materials and ingredients, it continues to be insufficient.

In addition, although the State has worked since 2010 to reduce the presence of trans fatty acids in the supply chain, there is currently an outdated approach to the limits proposed by international expert organizations in the field. An example is the WHO REPLACE (2018) package of measures that aims to eliminate TFA from the food supply and the “Action Plan to eliminate trans-fatty acids from industrial production 2020-2025”, launched in 2020, which seeks to facilitate the implementation of policies and measures at the national level. In both documents, it is recommended to adopt regulatory frameworks to eliminate or reduce the content of TFA to a maximum of 2% of the total fat content in all food products. If this recommendation is coupled with a ban on partially hydrogenated oils (APH), it may have an added effect by allowing enforcement against other sources of trans fatty acids, such as poor quality refined oils.

About trans fats:

Industrial trans fatty acids, known as “trans fats,” are present in a large number of processed foods such as baked goods, baked goods, cookies, and snack foods. These fats are made by the food industry through a process called “hydrogenation”, which transforms liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid fats.

A large body of evidence has shown that increased consumption of trans fats has serious health consequences. According to WHO studies, they are an important factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases and non-communicable diseases worldwide, causing an estimated half a million deaths each year.

More information:

Contact:

Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org 

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We present the Argentine Network of Community Advocacy

Next Monday, July 12 -from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.- we will present, together with a group of organizations, the Argentine Network of Community Advocacy, a space for articulation, support, advocacy and learning between organizations and legal professionals from all over the country, that we work for access to rights and legal empowerment of vulnerable people or groups. To participate, register here.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

Taking into account the great difficulties that social organizations and activists encounter in defending the rights of vulnerable groups, from ACIJ, FUNDEPS, TECHO, CAPIBARA, XUMEK – REPAD and ANDHES we saw the need to create a Community Advocacy Network to solve legal needs and structural problems that similarly affect large groups: people with disabilities, migrants, women, children and adolescents, the elderly, indigenous peoples, people deprived of liberty, victims of institutional violence , among others.

We seek to face with collective strategies the great obstacles that exist when practicing social advocacy and, in this way, guarantee effective access to the rights of their communities.

We are waiting for you next Monday, July 12 -from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.- to the presentation of this initiative, which is in permanent construction, to continue adding contributions from organizations and activists who want to be part of it.

What is RAAC?

RAAC is the Argentine Network of Community Advocacy. Its objective is to build a space for articulation, support, advocacy and learning among legal professionals from all over the country, who work for access to rights and the legal empowerment of vulnerable people or groups.

Goals

  • Generate alliances, synergies and solidarity between social organizations, professionals and activists that work in the field of community advocacy and community legal empowerment.
  • To promote greater visibility of the different local experiences linked to the subject.
  • Carry out an advocacy agenda in local and national public policies, linked to community advocacy and legal empowerment.
  • Increase the national debate on community advocacy and its development as a disciplinary field.
  • Generate a learning community that respects the plurality of thoughts and opinions, strengthens community growth and contributes to the development of the capacities and abilities of all those who are linked to community advocacy and legal empowerment

Para participar del evento, inscribite en este formulario.

 

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Trans fats in Argentina: what is the regulation like?

Within the Americas region, Argentina was a pioneer in the regulation of trans fats. However, today there is an outdated with respect to the recommendations of international expert organizations. There is evidence of a need for improvement in order to protect the health of the population.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

Trans fatty acids (TFA), or more commonly known as trans fats, can have a natural or artificial / industrial origin. Those of industrial origin are produced artificially by the food industry, through a process that receives the name of hydrogenation. That is, they are naturally liquid vegetable oils that turn into semisolid fats.

Because trans fats are an extremely useful product for the food industry, their use and consumption is much more frequent than you might imagine. This is due to its great stability against heat in frying, its great malleability for use in bakery and pastry products, due to the increased useful life of the products in which it is applied and due to its low cost. In addition, they give the final product a palatability that is difficult to achieve with any other fat source, thus increasing the desire for the consumption of these preparations.

However, the consumption of trans fats has serious consequences for health and no beneficial effect is recognized. According to WHO studies, they are an important factor in the generation of cardiovascular diseases and non-communicable chronic diseases. It is this context that determines the need and importance for States to develop and implement public policies aimed at eliminating the presence of TFA in the food supply, in order to guarantee the right to health and adequate food of their population.

Brief historical tour How do we get to the current regulations?

In our country, the regulatory framework for trans fats present in food products is established by the Argentine Food Code (CAA). Since 2008, after numerous international efforts aimed at demonstrating the relationship between the consumption of trans fatty acids (TFA) with severe health conditions and after demonstrating that the elimination of trans fats from food is feasible for the industry food, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the formation of a working group that – in line with its purpose – received the name of “The Americas Free of Trans Fats.”

The objective of this working group was to determine procedures to gradually eliminate the presence of TFA from products, among which were regulatory measures, voluntary actions and the feasibility of recommending less harmful alternative fats. This is how the Declaration of Rio de Janeiro took place in 2008, which established a series of recommendations to be followed by the subscribing countries.

In this context, Argentina in 2010, established in the Food Code Art. 155 tris by which it was provided that the content of TFA from industrial production in edible designs should not be greater than 2% of the total fat in vegetable oils and margarines destined for direct consumption and 5% of the total fats in the rest of the products, excluding from these limits fats from ruminants and dairy products.

In this way, Argentina became one of the pioneer countries in the region by regulating the content of trans fats present in food, as well as making efforts to incorporate the parameters set by the WHO.

However, little by little the experience revealed the deficiencies in the formulation of these regulations. It gave rise to various interpretations that made the companies not strictly conform to the standards set and that the enforcement authority itself, ANMAT, adopted various criteria when demanding compliance. It was clear from the Article that the restriction of 2% of trans fats in vegetable oils and margarines, reached only those destined for direct consumption and not necessarily to margarines and oils used as raw material by the food industry, including the production of bakeries. , restaurants, hotels, fast food outlets, etc. For this reason, fats and oils with high concentrations of TFA were being sold and used as raw materials, without respecting the limits imposed.

Faced with this situation, in 2018, the National Food Commission (CONAL), proposed a modification to the regulation of trans fats that culminated in the modification of art. 155 tris of the CAA and the one that was published in the Official Gazette, just on January 21 of this year. The regulation in question was drafted as follows:

“The content of industrially produced trans fatty acids in food should not be greater than: 2% of the total fats in vegetable oils and margarines destined for direct consumption and 5% of the total of fats in the rest of the foods, including those that are used as ingredients and raw materials. These limits do not apply to fats from ruminants, including milk fat ”.

Disadvantages of current regulation

Despite recent modifications, the wording of the regulations continues to be deficient. Although one of its main motivations had been to include raw materials within the 2% limit, the truth is that far from providing clarity, it continues to give rise to different interpretations that guarantee that raw materials have the same limit as the rest of the food (5%) and not the maximum set for a margarine and oil for direct sale that would be its equivalent in domestic use (2%).

At the same time, in Argentina there are also certain shortcomings with regard to the monitoring and surveillance of products at the outlet. This situation is partly due to the fact that the inscription of edible products is merely declarative. Companies are not required to submit a laboratory analysis that confirms that what they declare is consistent with what the product actually contains. The obligation formally only applies to gluten-free foods and to the use of claims or complementary nutritional information on the labeling.

On the other hand, there is no established monitoring or surveillance plan that systematically analyzes chemically and nutritionally the content of the products, whether they are used as raw materials or are intended for direct consumption. The control carried out by the health authorities is only limited to verifying that the label complies with the established requirements.

Finally, it is important to note that although the Argentine State has been working since 2010 to reduce the presence of TFAs in the supply chain, the regulations suggest that, currently, there is an outdated status regarding the limits proposed by the organizations. international experts in the field. The WHO, after the launch of the REPLACE package of measures (2018) aimed at eliminating TFA from the food supply, in 2020 issued the so-called Action Plan to eliminate trans-fatty acids from industrial production 2020-2025, in order to to facilitate the implementation of policies and measures at the national level.

In both documents, the adoption of regulatory frameworks to eliminate or reduce the content of TFA to a maximum of 2% of the total fat content in all food products is highlighted as the first strategic action. In this sense, the States are called upon to make their efforts so that these policies can be approved and come into force no later than the end of 2023. Considering this step as the fundamental and the minimum floor that all Member States must ensure, regardless of your resource capacity.

Comparative experience shows that several high-income countries have practically eliminated trans fats from industrial production, either by imposing legal limits on the amount of these fats present in food, through the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils. (main source of TFA from industrial production) or through a combination of these two strategies Research is conclusive in revealing that reducing or eliminating TFA from the food supply is both politically and technically feasible and that it is a relatively simple measure of low-cost, one-time, and significant long-term health benefits, especially in addressing and preventing Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases.

Along these lines, although the elimination of TFA is a strategy that would reduce the risk of these diseases for all people, regardless of their level of education or wealth, research shows that these measures have a greater impact on people. who habitually consume low-cost processed products and in those who face the greatest obstacles in accessing medicines and quality health care. For this reason, the WHO has expressly stated that, in order for the benefits to be distributed equitably throughout the world, it is necessary that measures be implemented in low- and middle-income countries, where controls on the use of trans fats of origin are often less stringent.

We urge the Argentine State to improve its current policies around the maximum concentration of TFA allowed in food products. The benefits in the use of this type of fats are only for the food industry that allows them to create highly addictive edibles at a very low cost. Research is categorical in stating that trans fats are extremely harmful to human health and are responsible for half a million deaths a year in the world. However, it has also been shown that the establishment of national limits through regulations is a feasible and effective measure that helps to improve people’s quality of life.

The right to health, adequate food, as well as the right to information within the framework of consumer relations, are fundamental rights that enjoy hierarchy and constitutional protection. Ensuring that food systems are safe, healthy and transparent for those who consume is the duty of the State and forms the basis for effective interventions in food policy and public health.

More information

Contact

Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org

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The Deliberative Council of Córdoba would prohibit the display of ultra-processed products in checkout lines

The Deliberative Council of Córdoba would approve this Thursday a project that prohibits the display of ultra-processed products online from supermarket, hypermarkets and drug stores.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

The initiative, presented by Juan Pablo Quinteros – neighborhood meeting – and Nicolás Piloni – officialism – establishes the incorporation of a sanction to who “exhibits merchandise that are classified by the competent municipal authority as” ultra-processed products “, in supermarkets, hypermarkets and pharmacies with long hours of operation and self-service format, within a radius of 3 (three) meters from the cash register or any other collection area located for this purpose.

Some years ago, excess malnutrition was described as a problem in developed countries. Today this scenario has radically changed and the epidemic has spread at alarming speed in low- and middle-income countries.

The underlying causes of overnutrition, diseases related to excessive food intake, and nutritional imbalance are complex and multidimensional. Food is the product of a set of social, economic and cultural factors that are influenced by the availability, cost and variety of food, along with custom, beliefs and information accessed on eating habits, among others. In this framework, advertising plays a central role, influencing the preferences and eating habits of the population. There is clear evidence about the influence of unhealthy food advertising on the types of foods that children prefer, order and consume. In general, these are ultra-processed products with a high content of sugar, fat or salt.

When we refer to advertising, not only traditional forms, mass media and social networks are included; but also, and very especially in the case of food, the advertising that appears on the packaging, package or container of the product, since it is also conceived with the intention of awakening in the future acquirer the desire to access the good. It is there where the display of the product takes on special relevance.

The alarming figures on excess malnutrition highlight the need for states to adopt measures to avoid excessive and unbalanced food consumption. The design and implementation of public policies that favor the creation of healthy environments is essential. The Argentine State, according to its constitutional precepts and international human rights treaties, is in charge of three types of obligations, these are: to respect, protect and guarantee the right to health and the right to adequate food. In this specific issue, the obligation to protect is the most relevant insofar as it requires active action by the State to regulate the conduct of third parties that, through their activity, may affect the fundamental rights of the population.

In this sense, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations have published in recent years, numerous documents that, based on scientific evidence free of conflict of interest, establish a set of measures to regulate the environments and products, in order to promote healthy habits and thus stop the growth of excess malnutrition. Among the measures are: the frontal labeling of warnings, fiscal measures, the promotion of a healthy school environment and the restriction of advertising, including the display of products as part of it.

That is why we urge this Deliberative Council to take a step forward in restricting the display of ultra-processed products in the vicinity of checkout counters in supermarkets, hypermarkets and pharmacies. Through a measure such as this, the State will be protecting the rights of consumers, and especially, ensuring the health of boys and girls.

Image source: @nutricionistasderionegro

Contact

  • Maga Merlo Vijarra, magamerlov@fundeps.org
  • Agustina Mozzoni, agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org
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What is happening with the labeling law?

On October 29, 2020, the Chamber of Senators gave a half sanction to the bill for the Promotion of Healthy Eating, with 64 positive votes and 3 negative. From then on, the Chamber of Deputies had the duty to promote the corresponding legislative treatment until it was approved. However, the procedure to date has undergone a series of back and forth that jeopardizes its approval.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

After intense complaints from civil society organizations for the lack of initiative from the Chamber of Deputies, an information meeting was held within the framework of the special sessions on February 23 of this year. There, referents from the industry sector, as well as representatives of consumer and health organizations, shared information and presented their position on the various regulations and measures that make up the regulations in question. However, the deadlines were not sufficient for deputies to manage to implement it. The parliamentary debate on the bill should have been postponed.

At the same time, almost surprisingly, the National Executive Power broke into the ambit of the National Food Commission (CONAL) and Mercosur with the presentation of another proposal regarding the frontal nutritional labeling of foods. This proposal has the particularity of being friendlier and more flexible with the food industry inasmuch as it not only modifies the nutrient profile system (that is, the values ​​from which it is possible to consider an edible high in sugars, sodium, fat or calories), but also excludes the entire set of other measures that are also part of the current bill. These include regulations for school environments and issues related to advertising.

Faced with this scenario, the demands of civil society were once again necessary for the Chamber of Deputies to resume and promote the treatment of the bill for the Promotion of Healthy Eating. Thus, on April 6 and already within the framework of its ordinary sessions, the fourth information session took place. On this occasion, Fundeps, together with other organizations, highlighted the strengths that the current bill presents in the field of health protection, the need to maintain its parliamentary treatment and the urgency in which the bill is approved without modifications.

Why is it important that it be through the National Congress and not through CONAL?

The proposal promoted by the National Executive Power in CONAL and Mercosur implies a relaxation of the protection standards in health matters. In this sense, it presents important differences with the bill.

One of them is the one concerning the graphic system. The bill establishes that non-alcoholic packaged foods and beverages must include a warning stamp with the legend “excess in” on the main face of the packaging. However, the resolution presented by the Executive proposes its modification to “stop in”. This is not minor or coincidental, if one takes into account that the available scientific evidence indicates that the expression “high in” does not generate the alert that is expected in consumers, and consequently the effectiveness of the policy may be diminished. If an edible design contains excessive amounts of critical ingredients, this circumstance should be expressed as clearly and simply as possible.

A second difference is given by the nutrient profile adopted. This would no longer be that of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), but another much more lax one that would make products reached by warning seals according to the PAHO nutrient profile, be offered in the market as free of black octagons . The best scientific evidence available to date and, above all, free of conflicts of interest, shows that the OPS profile allows identifying the products that, beyond the size of the portion considered, tend to unbalance the diets of the people and, consequently, negatively impact their health.

A third difference is that the Executive’s presentation, by limiting itself only to food labeling, leaves key points of the bill unregulated, such as school environments, issues concerning advertising, claims regulations, and seals of endorsement, etc. The bill that is under treatment in the Chamber of Deputies is characterized by being a comprehensive regulation that seeks to penetrate much deeper, as it would allow us to improve our environments, making them healthier and safer spaces. This takes on greater relevance if one seeks to protect the well-being and health of children and adolescents, who, since they are in a stage of training and development, require special protection from the State.

Finally, it remains to add that if the Executive’s proposal continues its course until it is approved by CONAL or Mercosur, the voice of the society represented in the National Congress would be disregarded. This body, established as the highest bastion of popular will, has a constitutional duty to legislate and promote measures that guarantee the full enjoyment and exercise of the rights recognized by the Constitution and international human rights treaties. Likewise, it should be noted that the legislative body is the one that allows more participatory work and greater control by citizens. Unlike what happens in CONAL, whose mode of operation is more hermetic, and where citizens have greater difficulties in accessing what is deliberated and resolved there.

It must be said that the current bill is not only based on the best available scientific evidence free of conflicts of interest, but has also been the result of long processes of discussion and consensus between different political parties. These circumstances allow this type of policy to be conceived as a State policy, giving it more strength, greater legitimacy and more possibilities that it can be sustained over time.

It took many years to accomplish this very important step. Today, the conditions are in place for Argentina to have the best law. The high prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases, which currently affects the population, requires a policy that more comprehensively addresses public health problems.

In this sense, the draft Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating is a necessary measure to protect the constitutional rights to health, adequate food and the rights of consumers. That is why, we ask our deputies to unite their wills so that the project passes quickly to an opinion and that it finally becomes a law without modifications.

Author

Maga Merlo Vijarra

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni, agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org

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Fundeps is part of the Alliance for the Framework Convention on Global Health

In 2020, Fundeps began to integrate the Alliance for the Framework Convention on Global Health as an associate member. It is an Alliance formed by individuals and organizations that work together, at various levels, in favor of a Framework Convention on Global Health that guarantees the right to health of all people.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

Confident in the fundamental role that civil society organizations play in promoting rights, for several years we have accompanied global efforts to achieve a Framework Convention that ensures equal standards in the exercise of the human right to health. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed numerous inequalities that aggravated the effects of the pandemic, especially in Latin America. In this new context, there is more than ever the need for an instrument such as the Framework Convention, which allows orienting, catalyzing and establishing standards, processes and mechanisms for health governance.

This year, from the Alliance we propose to promote a conversation that allows us to start developing solutions to prevent future pandemics and guarantee the right to health for everyone, paying attention to the particularities that our region is going through.

Along these lines, a webinar will be held on Thursday, March 4, 2021, on Health Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. This webinar will explore health equity with a special focus on the region but also with a comparative perspective on the global health landscape. Exhibitors, exhibitors and participants will present and evaluate solutions to the challenges of achieving health equity and health law in the region, including the idea of ​​a Framework Convention on Global Health.

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Author

  • Gonzalo Hunicken

Contact

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History not to repeat: in Uruguay the industry managed to accommodate the labeling in its favor

Through a regulatory decree, Uruguay modified the criteria established for the application of warning stamps on food products. With the new resolution, the limits to critical nutrients were relaxed and companies will be able to sell their products with high levels of sodium, sugar and fat, without being reached by the regulations.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

By 2018, Uruguay became the third country in the Americas to adopt the frontal labeling system for food warnings. This public health measure, widely celebrated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), was intended to be part of the response to malnutrition that affects 34% of Uruguayan children of school age. For its part, Decree 272/2018, within its clauses, granted companies an adaptation period of 18 months, enough time for the food industry to accommodate the political scenario in its favor. Thus, the entry into force and inspection of the measure was only set for March 1, 2020.

However, when the time came, the implementation of Decree 272 was not a priority. After many twists and turns, the government approved another decree (246/020) which not only extended the effective date of mandatory labeling to February 2021, but also established important variations to the original rule.

In Uruguay, the strategies used by the industry were the same as those used in other countries where front labeling was also discussed (Peru, Chile, Mexico and currently Argentina). The dilation of times, the sponsorship of specialists for the dissemination of biased research, as well as the denial and proposal of alternatives without scientific basis, are part of their best-known tactics that seek to protect only their economic interests.

Thus, far from being the Ministry of Public Health the one that proposed and announced modifications based on scientific evidence free of conflict of interest, the one in charge of doing so was the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining. Hence, it is not surprising to observe that the changes made by the government have revolved around the PAHO nutrient profile system, giving rise to a more flexible and friendly regulation with the food industry, and in evident damage to public health .

In this way, food companies in Uruguay today have the possibility of selling as stamp-free products those that contain 20% more sodium (from 400 to 500mg), 30% more sugars (from 10 to 13g) , 45% more saturated fat (9 to 13g) and 50% more total fat (4 to 6g), in portions of 100 grams or 100 milliliters.

For this reason, according to a statement from the Civil Society Alliance for the control of Non-Communicable Diseases, “the main products benefiting from this flexibility will be those with excess sugars and fats, in particular dairy products and desserts. , which are often advertised as healthy and with which the Food Industry carries out an aggressive marketing strategy, aimed at boys and girls. This (vulnerable) population will be the main recipient of these changes, given that many of these products will no longer have the label despite continuing to be just as harmful to their health ”.

In a critical context of the increase in Noncommunicable Diseases, the complicity of the Uruguayan government with the interests of the industry is not understood. According to PAHO statistics, Uruguay is among the Latin American countries that registered the highest increase in the consumption of ultra-processed products between 2000 and 2013, translating into an increase of 146%.

Given that the consumption of these products with excesses, are the main contributors to the generation of these diseases, it becomes necessary the existence and application of public policies that effectively protect the right to health of the population, especially those groups in a situation vulnerability, as are children and adolescents. Likewise, the importance of ensuring that public health policy-making processes are free of conflict of interest and industry interference is highlighted. Well, these must be based on the best available scientific evidence and not on the economic interests of a particular sector.

From Fundeps and SANAR, we join the claims of Civil Society Organizations that require the Uruguayan government to implement a frontal food labeling that protects and guarantees the right of access to information by consumers, as well as the right to health of Uruguayans.

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What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals?

We present a document analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by the UN Member States, with the purpose of ending poverty, protecting the planet and guaranteeing peace and prosperity for all people by the year 2030. The SDGs There are 17 integrated objectives in which the actions or impacts on one will affect another / s.

The situation generated by the pandemic is not at all encouraging, since pre-existing unfavorable issues such as increasing poverty and hunger, increasing inequalities, rising unemployment, the health and sanitation crisis, the economic recession, restricted access to education, the setback regarding gender equality, among other aspects.

Thus, the document “Impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals“, prepared in a collaborative way, analyzes and reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on the SDGs, the positive and negative consequences of the global pandemic on each of the 17 objectives.

The current context has posed challenges for States and international organizations in decision-making, and in the establishment of truly effective actions to prevent this type of situation from recurring. In this way, the current context made us have to rethink whether the current system is effective or whether we should build another model for the future, one that is more equitable, inclusive, fair and sustainable. Therefore, the situation that the world is going through may mean an opportunity to rethink what future we want to build from now on.

More information

Contact

Gonzalo Roza, gon.roza@fundeps.org